Fate
by iliveindrwhoville
Summary: This is a one shot on how Rose and Dimitri would have met if she was raised by her father instead of going to school. Please read the story and please read the Author's notes at the beginning and the end! They will explain...
1. Chapter 1

**This is my story about yet another "what if…" in Vampire Academy. It's a far shot, and probably out of character, but it's something I really wanted to write. I did get the idea from another fanfiction on here, but I'm NOT trying to steal anyone's story or plot or anything like that. I just wanted to write something for the fun of it. This is how Dimitri and Rose would have met if Rose had been raised by her father instead of going to school. This story doesn't get too far into anything really; I had planned to write a whole story, but after getting to the end of chapter one, I realized that I didn't have anything further to add. So…read on!**

"Rose, wake up," I heard a voice calling.

"No," I grumbled, "so tired. Must keep sleeping."

I heard giggling and then felt a cold blast of air rush over my body. My eyes shot open and I bolted up.

"Hey! Give me back my blankets," I yelled.

"Not a chance Rose," said my best friend, Lissa- or as most of the Moroi/Dhampir world knows her, Princess Vasilissa Dragomir. (**AN: I'm just going to assume you all know about the whole Vampire Academy world and not do the whole explanation about the vampire thing, or the elements thing, it would be pretty pointless anyway**)

Lissa has been living with my dad and me for the past two years since her family died in a car accident. Lissa and I met when we were five because my dad thought I should have someone my age to talk to and the Dragomirs were some of the few people he actually liked. We hit it off and have been best friends ever since. I was visiting Lissa and her family at the time of the accident; Lissa and I were in the car and were the only survivors. Well, sort of…. You see, I actually died for a while, but Lissa brought me back because she controls the element Spirit. Now we have a bond that lets me see into her mind and know what she's thinking and feeling; I'm also shadow kissed. That basically means that I have this…darkness around my aura. At least that's what I've been told by another spirit user I know, but I'll get into that later. Anyway, I knew that Lissa wouldn't be safe on her own so I asked my dad and he said she could live with us. Oh, I should probably tell you where that is. My dad actually owns a few homes, but most of our time is spent in his mansion on a private island off the coast of France (**AN: yes, I'm making this all up. I wanted somewhere new**). And now you're wondering who my, obviously rich, dad is. He's Ibrahim "Abe" Mazur, or as some more affectionately call him, Zmey, which means snake in Russian. You see, he's…well, let's just call him a "mob boss" because that's the closest I can get to explaining what he does for a living. My dad may not be a royal Moroi, but he is very powerful. Another question going through your mind right now is probably: where is my mom? She's off being a guardian. She wanted to drop me off at St. Vladimir's Academy in America, but my dad wouldn't hear of it and said he'd raise me himself. I've only met my mother a handful of times and each time we get in an argument. I still haven't really forgiven her for leaving me, but let's not go on about my mommy issues. Let's get back to the story.

"That's so not fair," I whined to Lissa. "Why can't I sleep any longer?"

"Because it's time for you to talk to Abe," she said.

"Oh yeah," I said excitedly. "What do you think he'll say?"

"I don't know Rose," Lissa said uncertainly. "I mean, he's pretty protective of you, but you are really stubborn," she said with a laugh.

I smirked, "very true." We went downstairs and found my father at the dining room table.

"Good morning Abe," Lissa said cheerfully before sitting down.

"Morning Dad," I said nervously, sitting next to Lissa.

My dad looked over to me, curious as to why I sounded so nervous. "Good morning girls, sleep well?" We both nodded and a heavy silence followed. Lissa elbowed me in the ribs and I heard her through the bond thinking, _Well, go on already_.

I cleared my throat. "Dad, I've been thinking."

"That's never good," my dad said with a grin. I rolled my eyes and continued.

"Well, you see, I want to learn how to fight like a guardian," I paused, waiting for his reaction. He didn't answer for a while, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Why," he asked. "I have guardians here to protect the both of you in case anything happens. Are you planning on running away Rose?" He laughed. I rolled my eyes again with a sigh.

"No Dad, of course I'm not planning to run away. I just…I just want to know how to fight that's all." My real reason was that I really wanted to know what it was my mom found so appealing about being a guardian, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "I'll work hard, I promise."

"Oh I have no doubt about that," my dad said. "Once you put your mind to something, you don't give up." He paused. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. I'll start looking for your trainer myself tomorrow." I smiled and ran over to him to give him a hug.

"Thanks Dad." He never showed it, but my Dad loved all the sentimental stuff. I guess he's just a big softie underneath that tough exterior. Although, I'm sure if someone else tried to hug him like that, it would be the last thing they ever did.

We finished eating breakfast and my dad went off to do some "business" while Lissa and I went upstairs to video chat with her friend, and my boyfriend, Adrian. He's the other spirit user I mentioned earlier. When we first met when I was at the royal moroi court with Lissa, I thought I'd never go out with him. He drank alcohol constantly and smoked like a chimney, which is completely disgusting, and had a very well known reputation as a womanizer. But Adrian Ivashkov does not give up when he wants something. Finally after a lot of pleading, on his part, I told him I would go on a date with him if he quit smoking, drinking, and sleeping with anything with a pulse. He agreed and was, surprisingly, a perfect gentleman on our date; I fell for him and we've been together for about six months. I don't think I love him, but we have fun together and he's completely gorgeous- don't tell him I said that though, his ego is big enough already.

"Hello little dhampir, don't you look ravishing this morning," said Adrian with a smirk.

I smiled my man-eating smile and said, "Too bad there's no one here to ravish me then." Adrian's eyes darkened, "Don't start something you can't finish."

"Ok guys, seriously, not when I'm in the room," Lissa protested laughingly. We laughed with her.

"Sorry Liss, it's just too much fun messing with Adrian," I said with a wink. "And now that I have, I'll leave you two to your magic lesson." Lissa and Adrian worked together with spirit, and since they couldn't be in the same place right now, seeing as my dad would definitely NOT let my boyfriend stay in the same house as me, they would communicate over video-chat. Adrian and Lissa were excited when they found each other, having never known another spirit user. Lissa can heal and use super-compulsion while Adrian can read auras and walk dreams- meaning he can transport himself, in a way, into anyone's dream. He's been in quite a few of my dreams as a matter of fact, and they can get pretty steamy. Everything feels completely real in them too, which makes them all the more fun; but we still haven't had sex yet because I refuse to lose my virginity virtually, and I'm honestly not ready yet. Moving on, Lissa is actually getting pretty good at reading auras and Adrian is getting the hang of healing.

I left the room because I didn't really feel like watching a magic lesson today, so I wandered off and ended up in my bedroom. I plopped down on my bed and thought about learning to fight and who my dad would hire to teach me. He, or she, would probably be the best of the best, because my dad doesn't settle for anything or anyone: he always gets the best. Who would that be? Would it be some old guy, like, someone in his forties? Or some uptight woman who wouldn't know fun if it came up and punched her? Honestly, I had no clue; I just hoped that whoever it was could help me find an answer to why my mother thought that being a guardian was better than being with me.

When I went to sleep that night, Adrian visited me in my dream. Tonight we were in a beautiful garden underneath a tree. Things started getting heated and I told him to stop before we went too far. He did and said that it wasn't a problem, and we sat together under the tree and talked for a while. Although he acted normal, or as normal as Adrian ever was, I still couldn't shake the feeling that he was disappointed that I stopped things. I felt a little guilty, but then I told myself that I wasn't going to feel guilty about something like that. If I wasn't ready to go further, Adrian would just have to accept that. I must have been thinking about this pretty deeply because Adrian had to nudge me a little because I hadn't heard what he was saying.

"Sorry, what were you saying," I asked.

"I was wondering when you would be coming to visit me," he explained, "you know, in the real world, not just in dreams." He looked at me and I could see in his eyes how much he really had missed me. I smiled and ran my hand through his hair gently.

"I'm not sure, it could be a while."

"Why, got a secret boyfriend stashed somewhere over there," he said. I knew he meant it as a joke, but there was a slight edge to his voice, as if he really wondered about that sometimes.

"No, of course not," I reassured him. "It's just this morning I got my dad to give me lessons in fighting, you know, like a guardian." I was excited, but also nervous about the prospect. I was starting training after 17 years of being practically inactive. I mean, I used the gym at home, but I really haven't done any real training.

Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why do you want to do that? There's not much point since you have guardians of your own."

"I know that, but I really want to do this." I didn't want to delve into the issue with my mom, so I decided to distract him. "Besides, this way, we could go somewhere together – alone." He gave me a mischievous grin.

"Well, when you put it like that…" Adrian never finished his thought because a loud knock on my door woke me up. I groaned in frustration, stomped over to the door and swung it open angrily, only to have my breath catch in my throat. He was tall, about 6'7" and had dark brown, shoulder length hair that my fingers itched to touch, his skin was slightly tan and his eyes – oh, his eyes – were a deep brown that I could look into for hours, which is saying something because I have a pretty short attention span.

_He is_ _so gorgeous_, I thought. But out loud I said, "Who the hell are you," in an annoyed voice. He raised one eyebrow, something I've never been able to do successfully, and said, in the sexiest voice I've ever heard, "I'm your instructor, Dimitri Belikov."

**Yep, that's it for me. I really wish I could've written a whole story, but I think I'm done with this. I might, MIGHT pick it up again later if I feel the inspiration. What happens later is Rose and Dimitri end up together and Adrian finds another girl to make him happy – sorry for all of the Rose/Adrian fans out there. But the beauty of me having not finished it, if you want to imagine Rose and Adrian together in the end, you can. I'm sure in my story that Lissa and Christian would find each other somehow as well. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, I caved. Here's another chapter. Just so you know, I probably won't be updating regularly. Actually, I don't know the next time I'll update. Today was a snow day though, and I got a burst of inspiration. Oh, right, disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances, think that any part of Vampire Academy belongs to me and I am not trying to go against any copyrights. Richelle Mead is the author and owner of VA and I'm pretty happy with her version of the story, I'm just having some fun **

Well, he most certainly is _not_ some old guy, or a cranky, middle-aged woman like I had worried about. My instructor, Dimitri Belikov, was quite possibly the hottest guy I'd ever seen. Not only that, but he had an accent. I've never told anyone before, except maybe Lissa, but I love accents. His was gorgeous, Russian I think.

I could tell that he was older than me, but not by much. I noticed his eyes running over my body, and although his face showed no noticeable change, I saw his eyes darken. It was at that moment that I remembered what I was wearing, which wasn't much actually. The night before had been fairly warm – too warm for pajamas, so I just slept in a sports bra and underwear. I could feel a slight blush color my face but I wasn't one to be shy.

"See something you like," I asked with a smirk.

Dimitri apparently didn't feel that my question needed a response and said, "Get dressed and meet me in the gym in ten minutes." He then turned on his heel and left in the direction of our gym.

I closed the door and pressed my back against it. My face still warm from the encounter, I felt a smile slowly spread across it. This was going to be much more fun than I had thought.

A little over ten minutes later, I was in our "home gym." You see, it's not exactly what most home gyms are like; the only similarity really is that it is in our home. Our gym had a track for running and multiples of every gym machine you could imagine, along with a boxing ring so the guardians could spar and a few punching bags. My dad wanted the guardians to be in top shape at all times so that they could protect us if the time came, which it hadn't – yet.

I saw Dimitri leaning against the wall across from the door; he was standing on the track. I walked over to him, and once I was in hearing range he said, "You're late, start running laps." My eyebrows rose in surprise.

"What? I'm barely two minutes late!"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Your father told me that you wanted to be trained like a guardian. This is how we train; you can either get used to it or give up now."

I stared at him in shock. No one, and I mean _no one_, had ever talked to me like that in my life. I looked at the ground and thought for a minute. I thought about how much I wanted this, I thought about _why_ I wanted this, and I made my decision. I looked at Dimitri square in the eyes.

"I need to do this," I told him determinedly, "I'll do whatever it takes." He nodded and opened his mouth to talk. I interrupted him, "But you have to promise me something." It was his turn to be surprised.

"What," he asked suspiciously.

"Promise me that you'll teach me what it really means to be a guardian," I said, more serious than I had ever been about anything. "Not just the fighting, I want to know everything that goes into being a guardian." For the first time, his face softened and a slight smile graced his face. I felt my heart skip a beat, I wasn't aware that that actually happened to people, but I swear it did.

Then he looked into my eyes with so much sincerity and said, "I promise." We looked into each other's eyes for another moment until he looked away, an unreadable expression on his face. When he looked back, his guardian mask was back on, but I could see the smile in his eyes. "Now," he said, his Russian accent making my heart stutter, "start running." I gave him a smile and then took off running at a fast pace.

When lunch time finally came around, I was starving, having not eaten breakfast that morning. I sat at the table with Lissa and my father, shoveling food into my mouth. Dimitri, seeing as he was a guardian, would be eating with them in the staff room.

"Slow down Rose," said Lissa, amused, "the food's not going anywhere." I glared at her and swallowed my mouthful of food.

"Hey," I said defensively, "not everyone got to eat breakfast this morning." She just laughed in response.

"So, Rose," my father interrupted, "how do you like your training so far."

"It's harder than I thought it would be," I began, "but I like it so far." _And I definitely like the instructor_, I thought to myself.

"Good, I'm glad," he said. "It will give you something to do while Lissa and I are away for the next few days." I was used to my dad going away on business, but Lissa leaving was a surprise to me. I looked at her in confusion.

"I'm going to court to visit Adrian for about a week," she said. "We're going to work on spirit. He's disappointed you won't be coming with me though." I felt a little bad that Lissa was going to see Adrian when I wasn't, but I didn't feel bad for me, I felt bad for him. Not in an egotistical way as in, "I'm so amazing it's too bad he can't see me right now." I felt bad that I wasn't being a good girlfriend. Good girlfriends wanted to be with their boyfriends most of the time. Good girlfriends didn't lust after their trainers.

I pushed those thoughts aside and forced a teasing smile on my face. "Hey, at least this way he'll be able to concentrate on spirit instead of his gorgeous girlfriend." Lissa rolled her eyes and laughed, and I was thankful that the bond was only one way. I didn't want her to know about my relationship doubts.

I was glad when my father spoke again so that I could fully leave that train of thought behind me. "I'll be sending two guardians with Lissa and I'll need a few to accompany me on my trip, so that leaves you with Belikov and Tanner."

I smiled; Mikhail Tanner was my favorite of the guardians. He was a good listener and a lot of fun to be around. He was also the one guardian who fully accepted the fact that I was being raised by a Moroi, which was very odd for a Dhampir. Then my smile grew even wider when I realized that apart from Mikhail, Dimitri and I would be alone for over a week. As much as I loved Lissa and my father, I couldn't wait for them to leave. This was going to be one interesting week.

My father and Lissa left early the next morning, and as soon as they were gone, Dimitri had me running around the track while he sat and read a book; a western from what I could tell.

"You know," I said when I was running past him, "the least you could do is run with me." The only response was a short glance before he went back to reading. After running for about 5 miles, Dimitri began teaching me how to fight. It was a long process and thankfully he was very patient, because I had never fought before. If he thought it was strange that I had no experience or prior training at all, he didn't show it, for which I was glad; the constant surprise from everyone upon first learning that I was a Dhampir girl who was raised by her Moroi father got annoying fast.

After my sparring lesson came lunch and then he would teach me the principles of being a guardian. One day, Dimitri was telling me about the mantra that he was taught in school. Although I already knew that Dhampirs felt that Moroi were incredibly important, the mantra of "They come first" was a bit strange to hear.

"You can't be serious," I said when Dimitri first told me. "I mean, they can't _always_ come first. We matter too."

"Well of course we matter," Dimitri replied, "but our race wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them. We have to protect them, and if that means putting our lives at stake, then we do it."

"That's insane," I practically shouted. "It almost sounds as if you've all been brain-washed."

Dimitri sighed. "You didn't grow up the way the rest of us have, you wouldn't understand."

"Oh, I understand," I said. "I understand that the Moroi think that if they drill that mantra into your heads from the time you're born, you'll think that it's the truth and they won't have to go out and risk their necks. They're only interest is protecting themselves!" My voice was getting louder the more I went on. "They don't care about us. They don't care that most of us don't ever get to have a normal life or a normal family. As long as they're kept safe, what do Dhampir lives matter?" I stopped and felt my throat tighten and tears come to my eyes. "Why should they care that I don't even know my own mother," I said in a whisper. Dimitri was silent and I froze for a moment, fully realizing what I said. I never talked about my mother. Not even to Lissa or my dad. I had only known this guy for a few days and here I was divulging my biggest secret.

A single tear fell down my cheek and I looked down, avoiding Dimitri's eyes. He put his hand under my chin and lifted my face to look into my eyes. When I looked at him, I saw his mouth pulled into a frown and his eyes were full of sympathy and compassion.

"Oh Roza," he said, his voice soft. "I'm sorry." He moved his hand to a strand of hair that was hanging in my face and gently tucked it behind my ear. "Please don't cry, I didn't mean to upset you." Unfortunately, that only made the tears come freely and I let out a strangled sob. Dimitri pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my back soothingly. He held me until I calmed down and I was almost sorry to stop crying because it felt so right to be in his arms, more right than in Adrian's.

When I finally did stop crying, he put his arms down but stayed where he was. "I don't usually talk about my mom," I admitted. "I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry for being such a mess."

"I'm the one who should be sorry," said Dimitri gently. "If I had known that it would upset you so much I never would have-"

"Stop," I interrupted, "it's not your fault. I told you to teach me what it meant to be a guardian. You were only doing what I asked." We were silent for a moment until I remembered something that he had said before. "You called me 'Roza.'" I said, "What does it mean? Is it Russian?"

He gave me a small smile. "Yes it is Russian, Roza means Rose." I couldn't help but smile.

"_Roza_," I repeated, feeling the way it rolled off my tongue. "I like it. Thanks Comrade."

He laughed, and I rejoiced at the sound having never heard it before. "Comrade," he questioned. "Do you even know what you're talking about?"

"I know plenty," I replied flirtatiously. He then seemed to notice how close we were and, unfortunately, stepped back. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

"Roza," he warned, his voice wary.

"What?" I asked in an innocent voice.

"This isn't right," he said.

"Why? I'm nearly 18 and you can't be that much older than me."

"Age isn't the only factor," he said.

"What else is there?"

"I was employed by your father and I don't think he would appreciate it if you and I were to…" he paused, "engage in a relationship." I rolled my eyes.

"You're worried about my father?" I asked. "Don't be, he wouldn't hurt you if I asked him not to."

He sighed and stepped back again. "This whole conversation is pointless anyway."

"How?" I asked, taking another step closer and closing the distance yet again. "What else is wrong besides my age and my father?" I honestly couldn't figure it out.

"What about your boyfriend," he asked and again, stepped back. This time I stayed put. _Adrian_, how could I forget all about him? I felt like a complete jerk. Dimitri took advantage of my silence. "I am not the type of man who would get involved with a woman who is already taken."

"I wasn't saying that you were," I said quietly. I felt horrible. I never thought I would be _that _girl; the girl who forgot all about her boyfriend whenever he wasn't next to her, the girl who cheated on her boyfriend….

"I think that's enough training for today," Dimitri said. "I'll see you tomorrow." Once he was gone, I walked slowly back to my room and sank down into my bed, not sure of what to do next. I knew that I really liked Dimitri, and I always knew that I didn't really love Adrian, at least, not like he wanted me to. At the same time, however, I didn't know if I could break up with him. If I was going to break up with him though, it was not going to be in a dream or on the phone; that was cheap and tacky. If I was going to break up with him, it would be in person.

_Maybe I should go visit him_, I thought. _Maybe if I see him in person, I'll know for sure what to do next._ I had a sinking feeling though that my visit was not going to be a happy one.

**Reviews are welcome and encouraged. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lucky for you, I've had a lot of snow days this week, and some inspiration. Your reviews have definitely inspired me to write another chapter. I hope you like it!**

The next day, Dimitri and I left for the Moroi court; Mikhail was flying the plane, or rather, one of my father's private jets. My story was that I missed Lissa and Adrian and wanted to see them, but that was far from the truth. My reason for going to see Adrian was to break up with him. Even if nothing happened between Dimitri and me, I didn't feel right about stringing Adrian along. He should be available so he can find a girl who loves him as much as he loves her. I can't give him what he deserves. Hopefully, he'll understand.

I recalled what Adrian's mother told me when we first met. Adrian had gone to get his coat when she took a step closer to me and whispered, "_Try not to break his heart too much when it ends_."

I was surprised that she could see so easily that I wasn't as invested in my relationship with Adrian as he was, even though I wanted desperately to be. My heart sank and my stomach was in knots. I closed my eyes and sunk into my seat, sighing.

"Are you ok Rose," Dimitri's voice broke through my reverie. I was a little disappointed that he called me Rose; he hadn't called me Roza since we left the gym the day before – just Rose, and it was starting to sound so plain compared to _Roza_. I slowly opened my eyes and turned in my seat to face him.

"I'm fine," I lied, trying to make him, and myself, believe it.

"Rose, it's no use lying to me," he said, and I glanced away from his entrancing stare.

"I don't know if I'm ok," I told him honestly. "But I'm hoping I will be." It took a lot of effort to lie to him, I was starting to realize, and if I tried, he always gave me a look that told me he knew I was lying. It was something that had never happened to me before. I could always lie so easily to people, convincing them of almost anything; Lissa sometimes teased that maybe I was the one with super compulsion, to which would I saucily reply that you don't need compulsion when you have my wit and charm.

Dimitri, however, saw through my façade every time. If he asked me if I was tired during training, I would always say no, even though I was actually always tired; I didn't want to seem weak. He would give me that look and roll his eyes, telling me to go have a drink of water or take a short (very short) break. That look always made me nervous because it was almost as if he could see straight through me, to my soul. I didn't know how he could read me so well. We knew each other for barely a week and already he knew me better than most people that have known me for much longer than that. Was this just a Dimitri thing? Or was it a Dimitri and Rose thing? I wanted so much to believe that it was the latter, but it was far too soon to tell.

Dimitri took a lock of my hair and twirled it around his fingers before tucking it behind my ear, much like he had in the gym. "You will be ok Roza," he said softly, so softly that I barely heard him. "I promise."

The plane landed a few hours later and I jolted awake, not even realizing I had fallen asleep. My heart was racing. Not only because of the rude awakening, but because of the position I was in while I was asleep. It wasn't anything vulgar, or even anything bad, as a matter of fact it felt very…right. My head had been on Dimitri's chest and his arm had been around me, holding me in place. The only reason this was possible was because Dimitri too had dozed off. I knew that if he had been awake, he never would have let it happen. It had happened however, and because it had I knew, that at least subconsciously, Dimitri wanted me too.

Dimitri's eyes fluttered open and he looked straight into my eyes.

"We're here," I said regretfully, wishing very much that we were still in the air. I was dreading the coming days and I didn't really know what my next course of action should be. Should I break up with Adrian straight away, or should I spend a couple of days with him first so we could have a goodbye? It was a lose/lose situation; either way it would hurt, and not just Adrian, it would hurt me too. I did love Adrian, but I wasn't _in _love with him.

When I stepped off of the plane I saw Lissa and Adrian waiting for me with smiles on their faces. My heart sank but I forced a smile on my face, because even if I decided to break up with Adrian today, it wouldn't be here. I could feel Lissa's excitement through the bond as she ran over to me and threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you came, Rose," she said happily. I hugged her back, trying to muster up some enthusiasm.

I was glad to see my best friend again, it was comforting, and for a moment, I did lose myself in her embrace. That is, until I heard my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend.

"Little dhampir," Adrian said with a sly grin, "did you miss me." My smile faltered.

"Of course," I told him. It was only partly a lie. I _did_ miss him, just not in the way he was inferring. I also felt a little guilty about yesterday in the gym. Obviously nothing actually happened between Dimitri and me, but I was very willing to let something happen. I had been so willing to cheat on Adrian, and seeing him now, in person, made me feel like the biggest jerk in the world.

"I have to pee," I said suddenly. I needed to talk to Lissa alone and there weren't that many places we could do that. If I said I wanted to go to my room, Adrian might take that as an invitation. So the only real option was the bathroom. Lissa and Adrian laughed at my outburst. "Lissa," I continued, "come with me." I then grabbed her arm and led her to the nearest bathroom.

"What is it with girls and going to the bathroom together," I heard Adrian say, amused, to Mikhail and Dimitri as we were walking away. I didn't get to hear their response because I was desperate to get Lissa alone.

Lissa noticed my hurry and could tell it wasn't because I had to pee. _What's wrong Rose_, she asked through the bond, her thoughts laced with worry.

"I just," I paused, and then spotted a door that said _Ladies Room_ in a fancy script. I pulled her inside and checked to make sure the room was empty before locking the door; I didn't want to be overheard or interrupted. "I just need to talk to you," I finished.

"About what," Lissa asked, out loud this time, her eyebrows knit in confusion and concern.

"About," I paused again to take a deep breath, "about Adrian."

"What about him," she prompted.

"I'm going to break up with him." I averted my eyes, not really wanting to see her reaction. Although, surprisingly, I didn't feel any shock through the bond.

"Well, I was wondering when it was finally going to happen," she said, sounding resigned.

My head jerked up and I looked at her in shock. "You knew," I gasped. "How?"

"Rose, everyone could tell that you weren't really that serious about the relationship," she paused. "Well, everyone besides Adrian. Wow, I hope he takes it ok."

"Not helping," I snapped.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm just…nervous I guess," I said, feeling guilty for snapping at her. _Because I really need another thing to feel guilty about_, I thought bitterly. I wasn't angry at Lissa though, just the situation I was in. "What should I do? I mean, how should I do it?"

"Rose, I can't really tell you how to break up with your boyfriend," she admonished.

"I know," I sighed. "But, should I just do it fast, like ripping off a band-aid? Or should I wait a couple of days?"

"Well," Lissa said carefully, "the band-aid method is kind of harsh," she paused. "Then again, you don't want to lead him on any longer."

"Thanks Liss, that's really helpful," I said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at me.

"How about somewhere in the middle," she suggested, ignoring my comment.

"What do you mean?"

"Do it tonight, but have dinner together first or something. That way you don't lead him on and you're not rushing into it either."

"I guess that could work," I said slowly, contemplating the idea. "But nowhere public, I don't want a lot of people around tonight."

"Why don't you order in and stay in my room," she suggested.

"I can't take your room," I said. "Where would you go?" She averted her eyes and I could see a blush forming on her cheeks. I tried to see what she wasn't telling me through the bond, but she was blocking me. "Lissa, what aren't you telling me," I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," she said nervously. I wasn't letting her off that easily.

"Lissa," I said in a warning tone, "tell me what's going on."

Just when she opened her mouth to talk, a loud knock on the door interrupted her.

"Rose, what's taking you so long," I heard Adrian call from behind the door. I felt relief flood through the bond, but this was far from over.

"Later," I told her.

What could she possibly be hiding from me?

**Can you guess Lissa's secret? I didn't really want to put the break up in this chapter. I'm kind of dreading writing it because I don't want it to suck. I've never had to break up with someone before…. Anyway, that's a problem for another day. Back to Lissa's secret, it's pretty obvious. What character is missing? Well, major character anyway. I know that a lot aren't in my story…yet. Reviews are very welcome :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, I know, it's been forever since I last updated, but like I said before, I won't always have time to update. But it is Spring Break, so I have some breathing room from all that school work! (Ok, so spring break was actually 2 weeks ago, when I started writing this chapter. That's how crazy writing this has been) Oh, and I hope this is good, I've been separated from VA for a while now and I got on a Doctor Who craze. Anyway, read on!**

I was sitting in Lissa's room waiting for Adrian, alone since Lissa left—very quickly might I add, and before I could figure out what it was that she was hiding from me. I mean, I can feel through the bond that it isn't anything dangerous, or at least Lissa doesn't think so. But what would she be afraid to tell me? A knock on the door made all thoughts of Lissa fly out of my mind; Adrian was here. My heart thudded in my chest, and not in the way that it used to when he was around. Instead of a giddy excitement, I was feeling a nervous guilt.

_Why are you feeling guilty_, I chided myself, _it's not like you cheated on him_.

_No_, I argued back, _I just fell for someone else after I made him jump through hoops just to go out with me in the first place!_

_Not your fault! And he chose to jump, you never forced him to._

"Ok, arguing with yourself is definitely crazy behavior," I said aloud, interrupting my internal debate. I took a deep breath, plastered a smile on my face, and then answered the door. "Hey!" I said, way too cheerfully to be normal.

Adrian noticed because he raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "Hey," with a confused smile on his face. I looked down and saw the white paper bag filled with Chinese take-out in Adrian's hand.

I cleared my throat and then said, "Hey, come on in," and moved out of the door way.

The next hour was pure torture. I didn't know exactly when to drop the bomb, but I didn't know what to talk about beforehand either. The whole thing felt fake and wrong; I couldn't even eat anything since my stomach was already full of dread. I was playing with my orange chicken when Adrian sighed and put down his chopsticks.

"Ok Rose," he said, sounding more grown-up than I'd ever heard him, "what's going on."

I swallowed and looked up at him, I had no idea what expression was on my face, but it couldn't have been good based on the way Adrian looked back at me: sadness etched across his normally cheerful features. "Tell me," he demanded.

"Adrian," I began, my throat feeling very dry all of the sudden, "I…I don't think I can do this anymore."

"The dinner," he asked gravely, "or us?"

Any lack of moisture in my throat was apparently in my eyes as I felt tears welling up. "Us," I choked out. A look of devastation passed over his face that made a tear fall down my cheek, but as soon as it was there, it was gone, replaced by an emotionless mask.

"Fine," he said, got up, and then walked to the door.

"Adrian, wait," I called.

He froze.

"Wait?" He spat, his back to me. "For what? What else is there to tell me?" He spun around. "Do you want to tell me exactly why you want to break up? Or that you're sorry and still want to be friends? Because you know what Rose," he paused, but I didn't answer knowing it was rhetorical. "I don't want to hear it." He spun around and was almost at the door before he turned around again and said, "You know, I don't know why I wasn't expecting this. I mean, I went through so much crap trying to get you to go out with me. I even had dinner with your father and listened to all of his exceptionally detailed threats about what would happen if I ever hurt you." He paused again, and what he spoke next came out quiet and raspy and I could see that he was fighting back tears while my own were slowly falling down my face. "But it wasn't me that did the hurting is it?" He was quiet, awaiting my answer. "Is it Rose," he yelled.

"I'm so-" I began, but he interrupted.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry," he yelled. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" His voice was so loud that he was almost screaming and I began to get worried. He was acting like he did when Spirit was affecting him, that Spirit induced craziness that always frightened him. I could see it in his eyes.

"Adrian," I said, my tears stopped, fear beginning to take over "just calm down. We can talk about this, just-just relax."

"Calm down," he questioned in a quiet voice that was more menacing than any yelling and walked towards me. "Do you think _you_ have any right to tell _me_ to calm down, Rose?" By the time he said "Rose" he had my arms in a vice grip and he was a lot stronger than I had thought he was. I wasn't afraid of him hurting me, but I knew this wasn't him—it was Spirit—and he couldn't be controlled by it. I looked straight into his eyes.

"Adrian," I said sharply, "this isn't you, this is Spirit."

His eyes narrowed, "Shut up," he growled, "you don't know who I am, and you don't care."

"That's not true," I told him, "I care about you enough to know that this isn't you and that you can take control again. Don't let Spirit do this to you Adrian. Fight back!" I saw something shift in Adrian's eyes and his grip on my arms loosened.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice sounding strangely distant.

"You can do this Adrian," I said, relief flooding through me, "just concentrate. Take control." His eyes widened, he looked down at his hands grasping my arms and he sprang away from me.

"I'm sorry," he gasped and then ran out of the door.

"Adrian!" I called after him, but it was too late. He was gone. I knew that it wouldn't help much if I went after him since I was the one that put him in that state in the first place, so I did the only thing I could think of doing. I called Lissa.

A few hours later she came through the door looking exhausted. I sprang off of the couch and rushed to her.

"Is he ok," I asked. I couldn't bring myself to watch them through the bond, not really wanting to face him again, even if it wasn't actually with my face.

She sighed. "I think he _will_ be ok."

"I suck," I mumbled, sinking back into the couch. I felt sympathy flare through the bond.

"No Rose," Lissa said gently, "don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault."

"How can you say that when none of this would have happened if I—"

"Rose!" Lissa practically yelled, and then continued more quietly, "Stop. You know Adrian has issues controlling Spirit. Besides, he'll get over it eventually; you just need to give him time."

"Yeah," I said, grateful for Lissa being so great about everything, "thanks Liss. You're the best."

"Thanks, you too," she said with a grin.

Walking back to my room after leaving Lissa's, I tried not to think about the breakup. I still felt horrible, even after Lissa tried to cheer me up. Not only that but I probably looked horrible. My crying had made my makeup run and my nose was red from blowing my nose.

"Are you okay?" I heard a man say with a Russian accent.

_Crap. Dimitri_ I thought. I hadn't seen him, which was saying something because, although it was night for the Moroi, it was daytime for humans so it was bright outside. _Of course I'd run into him now—when I look like a wreck_.

I hurriedly wiped my eyes with my hands, attempting to cover up that I'd been crying.

"Fine." I said shortly, not wanting to talk now. Dimitri sighed.

"Rose, if we are going to work together, you need to trust me," he said. "I can see that you're upset. Now tell me what's wrong."

It was my turn to sigh. "It's nothing. It's stupid, really," I said, avoiding his eyes. He said nothing. We stood there in silence for what felt like eternity and I cracked, hating the silence. "I broke up with Adrian," I mumbled.

"I'm sorry Roza, I know how hard that can be," he said softly and put his hands on my shoulders.

My head was spinning from the nickname and Dimitri contact combo, so I didn't think about it before I said, "He didn't take it very well; he went a little crazy." His hands tightened almost painfully around my shoulders and I gasped, looking into his eyes for the first time that conversation. While his face looked hard, and very deadly, his eyes held nothing but concern.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked in a tight voice.

My eyes widened. "What? No, of course not!" His grip loosened and he sighed in relief.

"Alright, why don't you tell me what happened." I told him all about the breakup— without telling him my reason for breaking up with Adrian. I didn't want to get into talking about my feelings for Dimitri so soon after leaving Adrian; it didn't feel right to do that. "I just feel horrible for making him lose control like that when he's been doing so well," I finished.

"Roza," Dimitri sighed, "it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for another person's actions."

I sighed in resignation, although the way he said "Roza" still made my heart beat faster. "I know Dimitri, but it doesn't stop me from feeling guilty. I don't think anything will for a while, but I know it'll get better in time. Thanks for listening to me though."

He smiled kindly at me and I realized that this was the nicest moment that we've shared together. That thought made me smile back, although when I remembered the nice moment was only because of dumping Adrian, my smile faltered. I looked down and then a brief gust of wind blew some of my hair in my face. Dimitri pushed the strands behind my ear and his hand lingered there for a moment; partly in my hair and partly on my cheek. My eyes snapped onto his, feeling an electrical current flowing between our contacting skin. We stood there for a moment, just looking into each other's eyes until Dimitri dropped his gaze.

"Roza, we can't," he said, but his hand was still in my hair. I felt a spark of anger flash through me, but it was dulled slightly from the use of his nickname for me.

"Why not," I asked, "is it the age difference? Because we're really not that far apart. Only seven years."

"No," Dimitri sighed, "well, yes, but that's not the only issue here, Rose." He dropped his hand. The loss of contact and the loss of the nickname aggravated me.

"I don't see any issues that can't be resolved," I hissed, crossing my arms.

"How about the fact that your father entrusted me to look after you," he pointed out in an annoyed voice.

"He hired you to train me to look after myself, not as a babysitter," I snapped.

"Well it seems that you still need a babysitter seeing as you are acting like a child," he retorted. After that remark I was so angry I was about to explode. I hated it when people talked down to me.

"I am not a child," I growled.

"Then prove it. Because if you don't grow up, you'll never be a guardian," he said before walking away. Tears began to fill my eyes, which seemed to be happening a lot that night, but I refused to let them fall. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wanted me to prove I wasn't a child? Well then he was going to get proof. I decided at that moment to not only fight well enough to be a guardian, but well enough to beat the best guardian. I was going to make Dimitri eat his words, and I was going to make sure Dimitri never thought of me as a child again: both emotionally and physically. _Dimitri Belikov_, I thought, _you better get ready, because Rose Mazur is on a mission._

**Yep, Mazur since she was raised by her dad. I hope I didn't call her Rose Hathaway in an earlier chapter…. Oh well. I hope this was good because it took FOREVER to write it. I had no idea what to say really. I mean between the breakup and Rose and Dimitri's first real talk, this was pretty tough. Hopefully in the next chapter I'll successfully write some Rose-Dimitri flirting action. I love reviews, so let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! I'm back! Sorry for the extremely long time between updates, but I did warn you about my lack of time…. Ok, so I started this in August. I got caught up in taking the gre and my tons of classes. Oh, and did I mention my 2 jobs? See, my lack of updating is for a good reason! Not just slacking. Also, remember, Rose in this story is going to be different than the Rose in VA. This Rose was raised by a loving father, with guardians to protect her, and her best friend by her side so she didn't have the training or the schooling that she had, or that time in the real world with Lissa. She'll have some attitude of course, but not the same…ferocity (fire?) I guess, that she has in the books. Anyway, enjoy :)

Dimitri and I flew back home the next day because I thought it would be more difficult for Adrian to move on if I was still around. Wow, did that sound as conceded as I think it did? Anyway, Lissa stayed behind to keep an eye on Adrian—at least that's what she said. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with her little secret. During the flight, Dimitri kept his distance from me; he sat as far away from me as the plane would allow and kept his nose buried in a book. Normally I would have pushed him on it, but I was trying to prove to him that I was mature.

I sunk into my seat and tried to sleep but I found it to be impossible. I just wasn't tired and my mind was buzzing with thoughts of Dimitri. After a few minutes, I decided to go into Lissa's mind in order to clear my own.

She was somewhere I couldn't recognize until she looked out of the window and I could place her. From what I could tell she was inside of the church, although it didn't look much like a church from her surroundings. It looked more like a dusty old attic. I was about to pull out of her mind (I mean, what could be so interesting about being there), but then I heard someone come into the room. She turned and my temper flared. She was with Christian Ozera— and boy did that guy know how to annoy the hell out of me. But that's not the weirdest thing. What shocked me were the emotions that I was getting from Lissa. She was feeling…happiness and—dare I say it—love.

That. Is. Disgusting. Couldn't her big secret have been something else? Anything else! I mean, I don't buy into the "he's going to turn Strigoi just because his parents did" thing, he just really knows how to piss me off. Every time I go to Moroi court, he makes these snide comments about how I think I'm better than everyone else because I live in a fancy house, I'm home schooled, and have as many guardians as a royal Moroi. Ok, I realize that doesn't sound bad, but when he says it in his sarcastic little voice I just snap. I swear, after Dimitri finishes training me, I'm going to beat the shit out of Christian Ozera.

By the time my mental tirade was over, I realized that I was in the middle of Lissa and Christian in a serious make-out session, and I snapped myself out of her head. I must have gasped or something, because Dimitri turned to look at me.

"Are you okay Rose," Dimitri asked, concerned, "you look a little sick."

Sick? I thought, I feel like I'm about to throw up!

I forced a smile, the "be mature" mantra running through my head. "I'm fine, thanks."

Unconvinced, he raised an eyebrow at me—looking incredibly sexy by the way—but turned back to his western novel nonetheless. I sighed in frustration, having to now try to not think about Dimitri as well as Lissa and Christian, and closed my eyes in an attempt to clear my head. I must have fallen asleep because I found myself in the garden that Adrian sometimes brought me to in the "dream dates."

"Adrian?" I couldn't see him anywhere. I was beginning to think I had just dreamt myself there out of guilt when he stepped out from behind a tree. He looked horrible. Well, he was still gorgeous, but I could tell he'd been drinking.

"I know I said I didn't want to know why, and I still don't want to" he began, "but I think I need to."

"I just," I paused, my heart breaking at the devastated look on his face. "I do love you Adrian."

He scoffed.

"No, I really do. And I think a part of me always will, but.." I stopped, not really wanting to continue. The words I said next would hurt me as much as it would hurt him.

"But what, Rose," he said, and I could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

"But we're kidding ourselves aren't meant to be. Sure we have fun together, but a relationship should be more than that. We should," I paused, looking for the right words, "understand each other."

"Oh, because you're so complicated," he said. He meant it to be mean but I could hear the pain in his voice.

I shrugged. "I don't know Adrian, but I do know that you deserve someone who can love you a lot better than I can."

"Bullshit," he spat. "This is complete bullshit! You're looking for a way out so you're using the 'you deserve better' excuse."

"That's not it at all—"

"What it is really Rose? Is there another guy?"

"Of course not," I said quickly.

He squinted at me. "You're lying," he said.

Damn auras.

"No I'm not. I did not break up with you for someone else," I defended, and I actually was telling the truth. I didn't break up with him to go out with Dimitri. I broke up with Adrian because Dimitri— unknowingly— helped me to see that my love for Adrian wasn't that big, once-in-a-lifetime, soul mates kind of love. I'm not saying that that's how I feel for Dimitri; it's way too soon to be deciding that. I just know that if I can fall for Dimitri as hard as I'm falling, Adrain isn't "the one."

Adrian squinted at me again. I don't know what he saw, but it definitely did not make him any happier.

"Whatever," he said.

The spirit dream ended and I was left to my usual dreamless sleep. The next thing I knew, I jolted awake from the plane landing.

Ok, ok. Ridiculously short, I know. BUT, I need to take a refresher course in Vampire Academy. I'm forgetting a lot of key things. By the way, if anyone has any suggestions for what should come next or at any point in time, please let me know. Or, if anyone wants to beta, that would also be cool. Thanks! And I really hope this December I can update some more and finish this story.


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